Professor gives $125,000 towards Public Administration Doctoral Fund

Professor gives $125,000 towards Public Administration Doctoral Fund

Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus Larry O’Toole, and his wife, Mary, have made a gift of $125,000 to create the ‘Public Administration and Policy Doctoral Fellowship Fund.’

“Larry O’Toole is a titan in the field of public administration,” says SPIA Dean, Matthew Auer. “But throughout his career, his real passion has been students, and he has trained generations of the best academics and practitioners in public affairs. I am delighted and gratified that Larry and Mary O’Toole have established the Public Administration and Policy Doctoral Fellowship Fund.”

The Ph.D. in Public Administration and Policy at SPIA is without a doubt one of the very best in the country, indeed the world. Over the past few years, graduates have been placed in tenure-track positions in some of the nation’s finest programs, including Arizona State University, Emory University, Indiana University, the Ohio State University, the State University of New York at Albany, Texas A&M University, University of Arizona, the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, and the University of Washington. Continuing to enroll the very best doctoral students is a prime goal for SPIA. In order to attract and train the best, we must offer financial support that is competitive with aid provided by other top doctoral programs.

“State-funded aid is limited and simply must be supplemented by endowed support secured through private giving,” says Dr. O’Toole. “I have devoted a considerable portion of my professional life to this program, and I believe strongly in its value.”

Generous donors from across the country and around the world are joining in the effort. The School has set a goal to raise at least $500,000 for endowed support for our PADP PhD students by June 30, 2020. The aim is to create stable support that lives in perpetuity. Future scholars will long benefit from these efforts.

Would you like to help support current and future generations of SPIA doctoral students in public administration and policy? It’s an investment in the training of some of the best junior scholars in their field. Click the link below to add your support to our goal! You can make a gift now or pledge support over time.